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He stops and cocks his head. “You said it right.” Who knows if he might actually be looking straight at me through the sunglasses? “Most Amerrrricans say Shahhhhhn not Shun.”
The condescending tone he uses on Amerrrricans tempts me to copy his students’ head-flicking on him. I make a shooing motion instead. “Time to go back to your cave and wait for someone else to insult.”
Still, he follows. “Fair enough, but you should bite down and get your round Amerrrrican ass up a tower or turret while you’re here.”
I step onto the wooden boardwalk leading out of the Rock Close and whirl on him. “Get your Irish ass away from me.”
Charlie surges around a bend of giant ferns. “Whoa, buddy!” He points a string bean finger at Sion. “I heard what you said to Eala. Sod off.”
I move shoulder-to-shoulder with Charlie and low-talk. “I believe sod off is an England thing.”
Sion doesn’t back off. He juts a chin at my protector. “No worras, you rawny bugger. I’m insult fluent in Irish, English, and Amerrrrican.”
Charlie moves closer to Sion. I swear I smell the ozone of toxic masculinity wafting around Colleen’s conquest. Charlie makes a low sound in his throat. Shit, less than a few hours in country, and I’m about to be responsible for an international incident.
“Let’s go, Charlie. Sion can go back to his cave or lurk under the castle murder hole.”
Sion laughs. The genuine warmth in the sound and curl of his lips softens me a little toward him. He tilts his head. “You’ve no need to kiss the stone, Eala, is it? You’ve already got a spicy gift of gab.”
To my surprise, Jeremy Olk rounds the corner with Colleen. My new colleague throws a protective arm around my waist. “Everything all right, Eala?”
Sion hangs back, held in place by a trio of glares. Being pressed against Jeremy’s body is as comforting as his poetry reading. The heat rippling through me has ideas beyond comfort. I lean into him. “Yeah. Just exploring.”
Convinced I haven’t been abducted by the Fair Folk, our team leader focuses on Sion. “I only agreed to take you on as a local guide, Mr. Loho, as a favor to a colleague of mine.”
This would be a good time for Sion to lose the sunglasses and be a smidge contrite. Instead, he yanks at the bottom of his dark peacock padded jacket until it covers his jeans to the knees and lifts his chin.
Jeremy’s posture goes rigid. He takes a step toward Sion, breaking our lovely side hug. “A gesture that can easily be rescinded.”
Sion presses those rosy lips together as if caging his reply and then nods, curls bobbing. “Understood.” Our newest trip mate has the good sense to exit down the boardwalk, sunglasses still on duty.
Jeremy Olk and Charlie move off to jabber over a sign marked Seven Sisters near a small circle of standing stones.
Colleen fusses over me. “When we told Professor Olk you’d gone to the Rock Close, he semi-freaked, practically yelling ‘not the Fairy Glade,’ and bolted.” Colleen fans her face. “Then I stressed, thinking the Fairy Glade was a place tourists get mugged.”
“Relax, this isn’t a sketch neighborhood in the city.” I raise the map. “I did want to check out the Fairy Glade.”
Doctor/Professor Olk’s head snaps up. “Hey partner, ready to head to the bus?” He tosses me a smile.
Partner.
Oh, so many ways to interpret the word.
I peek over my map at Sion, who limps through the passage leading out of the Rock Close. I want to write him off as a sour apple, but he pokes my curiosity. Questions burn in my chest. Why was this local amadán so offended over my pass on kissing the Blarney Stone? What earthly difference does it make to him?
As we emerge from the Rock Close, my sight lingers on Sion’s broad back and the fit of his jacket tapering to what looks like a trim waist.
It starts to sprinkle, and Sion disappears into his hood. We’ve almost caught up to him as we near the entrance pavilion. The breeze sends a few of his rogue curls dancing.
Máthair’s voice cuts into my tumbling thoughts.
“Now that man is a song to be sung.”
My grandmother may have embraced the benefit of the doubt for strangers, but I’m not her. Sion Loho is welcome to keep his distance, and I will do the same.
Chapter 5
The Sheehogue
